Tommy helps Daddy

When I started sweeping up after lunch, Tommy grabbed the other broom and followed me around, "helping."

(Photos taken 2015-04-11.)

Tommy's goose egg

Grandma gave Corinna a necklace of hard, green stones. Somehow while she was swinging it around she walloped Tommy just right and gave him a huge raised bruise. He was pretty inconsolable for a while but then he kind of forgot about it, thank goodness.

(Photos taken 2015-04-01.)

Tuesday night is Baskin Robbins night

(Photos taken 2015-03-31.)

February and March peanuts

• Tommy keeps eating the crayons in nursery. I guess you're not big enough until you can tell the difference between coloring time and snack time.
• Rachel: "Matthew wants to have a friend over." Me: "Did he have a 90% average this week like we discussed?" Rachel: "No. It wasn't really close." Matthew, eavesdropping: "Hey, at least I didn't fail!" He sets a high bar for himself.
• Rachel: "If anything happens to me, marry someone extremely patient."
• Me: "Let's watch So You Think You Can Dance." Rachel: "Not tonight. How about Sherlock Holmes?" "I don't want to commit to 90 minutes. What about Friends?" "Yuck. Burn Notice?" "What else is there?" "... I have manlier tastes in shows than you do."
• I did 9 chin ups in a row today. Me: "I haven't done that many chin ups in twenty years!" Rachel: "You're probably even stronger now. You're packing a little extra around the middle."
• Corinna refused to eat her brisket tonight until Rachel trimmed off all the bark. Some native Texan she turned out to be.
• Matthew, playing mine craft with a friend online. I don't think he noticed that I sat down behind him. "You know how I haven't been online for weeks? What my parents did is, I have to get all my homework done. I have a *lot* of homework."
• Yesterday, Melissa spilled her craft sequins all over the living room floor. Today, Tommy had sequins in his poop.
• A co-worker told me a story about Christine: "Someone came up to me at the kickoff. 'Is that really Jonathan's sister?' I confirmed that she was. 'I would never have believed it. She has such good social skills!'"
• At the park with the kids. There is a crushed grape on the sidewalk. A yellow jacket flies down and starts eating. Tommy reaches out to play. I move him down the sidewalk. Sometimes, what you don't know can hurt you.
• In a swing with Tommy on my lap. Corinna is pushing us. Being pushed is more awesome than I expected.
• Christine: "You're the most challenging member of the family to massage. David is muscular, but you're..." Me: "Padded?" Christine: "That's not the word I was looking for, but yes."
• Put all the kids to bed. Isaac woke up vomiting about 10. He got it on himself, his bed, and his floor. Then instead of heading for the bathroom, he went next door to his sisters' and puked on their floor, Corinna's bed, and Corinna. And for good measure, a large Diego pillow.
• Things Tommy wanted to eat today: Split pea soup, Charcoal, Soap. Things Tommy did not want to eat today: Eggs, Grapefruit.
• Actual words said in my house tonight: "Why is Isaac naked in the back yard? It looks like he has his finger up his butt. Ew! Ew! He's pooping! Why would he do that? What could he have been thinking?" Isaac reports that he didn't have time to make it to the bathroom, but it was not diarrhea that we cleaned off the lawn.
• Me: "You know what I haven't done in a while? Shrugs." David: "Now, you are a full-fledged lifter."

Rachel has a dedicated S'mores pit

The children approve. Tommy just gets Graham crackers but he thinks that's pretty good.

(Photos taken 2015-03-30.)

Houston, chronologial thoughts

We rented a minivan because our Buick is in the shop with serious engine problems, but we weren't going to let that stop our road trip.  (The dealer loaned us a pickup that seats five comfortably and six if you're desperate, but either way that wouldn't fit our entire family.)

We left Thursday night about 7.  Stopped for barbecue in Elgin before everything closed at 8.  Hoped the kids would all fall asleep while driving, but only Tommy had the good sense to do so, and even he woke up before we arrived.  So everyone was tired and cranky when we got to the hotel.

Rachel found a site that lets you search for hotel rooms that sleep up to 8, and ours had two bedrooms and a living area.  We stuck the kids in the room with two queens, Tommy in the living room, and us in the other bedroom with one king.  It worked all right, but I think the earliest Corinna fell asleep all three nights was 10.  Saturday night she was still going until 11.  No doubt this accounts for some of her ludicrously unpleasant mood.

On the positive side, everyone slept longer in a room that almost shuts out light entirely with the shades drawn.

Friday we visited the NASA Space Center.  It wasn't as fun as it was four years ago.  Mostly because three year old Corinna was a much worse guest than three year old Isaac was.  But also because the main thing that amused Isaac, the enormous ball pit, was gone.

Also, the White Tour is lame.  Stopped at one building, saw the SAIL shuttle simulator and the "rocket park," and that was it.  No wonder the line was short compared to the other tours.

Rachel generously took the three youngest after lunch while I saw some of the exhibits with Matthew and Melissa.  The IMAX Journey to Space film was fantastic.  The smoke billowing out of the shuttle launches almost made me claustrophobic.

We drove until Corinna and Isaac fell asleep, then we found a park and the older three ran around with some other kids until it was time to head to Paula's.  We had a great dinner with Paula and Scott, with only mild hysterics when their tiny dog approached Corinna.

Saturday we visited the Children's Museum.  It was huge.  We could have easily spent the day and still had things left over to do Sunday, but Corinna was out of patience by 2.  We pushed her to 3 to let Isaac and Melissa get some time in the construction zone, but then Rachel and I were both done with her.  We went back to the hotel for naps all around.  After an hour of fighting, Corinna fell asleep.  Two hours later, she peed the bed and woke up.

By then it was time for dinner (written about below), and dessert with Ryan and Rita at the Chocolate Bar.  Paula recommended the Chocolate Bar and it was pretty epic.  We shared five kinds of cake and two kinds of ice cream among the lot of us.  Then we got in a couple rounds of Dominion at the hotel, cut short by me fat-fingering my ipad when I went to take a drink and dropping out of the game.  It was for the best, those cards were terrible anyway and Ryan was clobbering us.

Sunday morning I took Corinna to the hotel pool.  She was looking forward to swimming the whole trip and she wasn't even fazed by the chilly water.  She sat on the edge and kicked her feet in the water for twenty minutes, then declared she was done.  But she was happy about it and her good mood persisted until brunch, where she got a waffle as she requested instead of the pancake she requested slightly later.  Also slightly earlier.  She changed her mind more than once.  Ultimately she ate the waffle and decided she was full.  Crisis averted.

Then we drove home and Tommy puked (also written about below).

This probably comes off as pretty negative.  We went into it knowing that family vacations are no picnic.  We are not newbie parents and we have the scars to prove it.  But wow, this was way more stressful than we expected.  Coming home Rachel turned to me and said, "I guess we're done with family trips until Corinna is ten."  And honestly that doesn't sound like a bad plan right now.

Houston: the two youngest travelers

I posted a few pictures from our trip to Houston, but not many.  I think I was too traumatized to be cameraman, most of the time.

The predominant feature of our little vacation was how hellish it is to travel with Corinna.  Rachel and I have not bred pliant, easy-going children, but she is really something else.  She must have complained eight thousand times that she wanted to go home -- not just in the car, but during activities at the Space Center and the Childrens' Museum.  She was a little ball of vinegar the entire weekend.  If it wouldn't destroy our relationship, we'd leave her with Grandma and Grandpa for our next trip.

On the bright side, Tommy was a much better traveler than expected.  He was pretty content in his seat the entire ride, possibly distracted by the novelty of being in a front-facing seat for the first time. 

Unfortunately, on the way back we plied him a little too hard with cookies and chips, and less than ten minutes from home he started puking.  And puking.  And he just kept puking, not projectile vomiting but just feeding it slowly out of his mouth like a kid slurping up oatmeal in reverse.  Every time he wiggled it smeared a little more over him and his seat. 

We pulled over to wipe everything down to limit the damage, but when I was done I still had little puke molecules clinging to my arm hair.  Once home, Tommy and I took a shower together.

A dinner without complaining

It has been a long time since we had fancy Italian, and there was a highly rated restaurant near where we were meeting Ryan and Rita for dessert.  Rachel and Matthew and I had tasty dishes that we'd never tried before.  Melissa and Isaac opted for safe spaghetti and pizza, respectively.  Tommy happily tried a little bit of everything.

Corinna?  Corinna did not want pizza.  She did not want spaghetti.  She did not want lasagna or chicken or beef.  She wanted noodles.  Plain noodles.  No sauce.  No cheese.  Plain noodles.

So that is what we ordered, and for once, she didn't change her mind and demand something else.

I think that was the only meal the whole trip where she didn't complain once.

(Photos taken 2015-03-21.)

"Dodgeball"

(Photos taken 2015-03-21.)

The power tower

Couldn't get both in focus at once. They were too engrossed to hold still.

Corinna could almost keep up with Isaac since she barely had to bend over. Later, I saw a sign that said kids under five were not allowed. I would have ignored it even if I had known.

(Photos taken 2015-03-21.)

Children’s Museum Houston

I have no idea what game this is or what the rules are, but Isaac and Melissa are fascinated.

It seems like it's designed to trick kids into doing math.

(Photos taken 2015-03-21.)

Tommy at the hotel in Houston

I think he is mad that there wasn't actually infinite toilet paper.

(Photos taken 2015-03-21.)

Tommy's birthday cake part 2

(Photos taken 2015-03-14.)

Tommy's birthday cake

(Photos taken 2015-03-14.)

Rachel gets her truck

The Buick is at the dealer's for a possible broken camshaft.  In the meantime, they loaned us a "Texas Edition" pickup.  I was kind of shocked at how fantastic the visibility is in this thing.

Rachel already took advantage of the situation by picking up her gardening supplies for the season.  "I was humming happy truck songs all the way to Home Depot."

(Photos taken 2015-03-14.)

SXSW Gaming

(Photos taken 2015-03-13.)

More sxsw Create

(Photos taken 2015-03-13.)

Learning to solder at sxsw Create

He is holding up his pinky to show where he burned himself, which he took very seriously indeed at the time. He forgot about it a few minutes later.

(Photos taken 2015-03-13.)

Tommy likes beans

(Photos taken 2015-03-13.)

Texas baby food

Tommy likes ribs. All kinds of ribs.

(Photos taken 2015-03-10.)

Baby food, fifth kid style

Here, Tommy. Have a drumstick.

(Photos taken 2015-03-10.)

Happy birthday, Tommy!

(Photos taken 2015-03-01.)

January peanuts

• Grandma Ellis listening to Melissa talk about how she burned herself once: "You'll be hurt a lot worse in life. You can get past it." Mom's cheerful like that.
• Dad: "I don't feel old yet. In two years, that's when I'll feel old." Me: "Because you'll turn 65?" Dad: "No, because you'll turn 40."
• Tonight [Jan 2], Mom clobbered us at Ticket to Ride. It was so lopsided that she doubled my score. My joy in introducing my parents to board games is tempered a bit by losing every night.
• Melissa: "My gym teacher told us that we should take a bath every day. I told her that I have a very busy family and I don't think I can fit that into my schedule."
• Me: "Did you forget about this pumpkin in the bathroom?" Rachel: "No." I pick it up. The bottom is squishy, and it makes a sloshing sound. "Yes. Yes, you did."
• Melissa's science project (two months of work) is due tomorrow [Jan 20]. She started working on it seriously at about 4 PM. She is almost done at 9 PM. (She started from about 50% done, not from zero. Still.)
• Developing guitar calluses on my fingertips feels like they have superglue perpetually drying on them.
• Melissa wasn't confident in her Cream of Wheat-making skills, so she enlisted Matthew to help her. Somehow, neither of them noticed the comic book sitting on the stove next to the pot until it caught fire. In related news, every time we start to think Matthew might be ready to babysit, he proves us wrong. (They did put it out themselves.)
• Matthew was getting ready for his campout Friday. "Matthew, why are you wearing Melissa's socks?" "Mine are all dirty." And he still didn't do his laundry until I woke him up early this morning and told him no more excuses!
• Christine: "A lot of guys at church think playing the guitar is manly." Me: "Are you encouraging me, or laughing at me?" Christine: "Both, of course!"
• Me: "The good news is, we won't have to wipe Tommy's butt." Rachel: "What's the bad news?" "There's poop in the tub."

Isaac's valentine's card

(Photos taken 2015-02-14.)

I told you you were tired

(Photos taken 2015-02-10.)

Bubble Trouble

(Photos taken 2015-02-02.)

December peanuts

• Me: "I don't like Civilization Revolution. The defense bonus is too high. Those damn archers killed my catapults." Rachel: "Maybe you should play on the baby level."
• Matthew, grouchy: "This butt paste you gave me isn't making my face feel better." Me: "What did you put on your face? Are you saying you're a butthead?" Matthew was not amused.
• David: "I tell my co-workers that you're one of my success stories. 'My brother isn't exactly slim, but he has muscles now.'"
• Me, muttering to myself: "Alas, poor Small World." [Our game crashed last night.] Rachel: "You were losing anyway."
• Corinna has christened Telitha "Aunt Twilight." I think that's actually pretty cool, as three-year-old nicknames go.
• Matthew did a 5.9 route at the climbing wall, tying his dad. (Telitha matched the same route too.)
• [Dec 25, after unwrapping his new computer] Matthew is on steam voice chat with his friend complaining about "Windows 1.8."
• [Dec 26] I have taken kids out in mismatched socks before. Today Isaac is wearing mismatched sandals. I have no idea what he does with them.
• [Dec 30] Rachel and I have played dozens of hands of Coup. My parents wiped the floor with us tonight, their first time. Dad by the simple strategy of never bluffing. And nobody could read Mom's poker face. [They also clobbered us at Ticket to Ride and Love Letter before they left.]

November peanuts

• After doing five bodyweight pullups Thursday, David declared me ready to add extra weight. I did two at +25 lb. Meanwhile David was doing +125.
• Tommy was bored. I sat him at the table with some Cheerios. He ate a couple cheerios but started straining at his seat belt, trying to get out. I gave him some avocado. He accepted it but wasn't really interested. Still wanted out. I bit off a corner of my Doritos chip and gave it to him. That got his attention. He stayed there for another ten minutes eating Doritos with me.
• [Nov 13] Isaac is going through multiple catalogs we got in the mail, circling things he wants for Christmas. Old school. Six year old anticipation is cute.
• Rachel, watching Matthew steer a Warthog over his AI teammate: "If you want me to play with you, I'm driving."
• Rachel: "Do you want to come watch Matthew's concert?" Melissa: "How long is it?" "About an hour and a half." "No, thanks. You can send me pictures."
• At the Austin Symphony, box seats in the mezzanine. Matthew: "I feel like the old guys in the Muppet Show."
• Filling out legal forms tonight. Rachel: "You should tell Matthew that even though you've been out of school for years, you still get homework." There's a happy thought!
• Rachel, on Dominion: "I won, but I didn't enjoy it."
• [Nov 28] I like the day after Thanksgiving even better, because Rachel doesn't make me wait to eat pie until after dinner. Apple, pecan, banana cream, and peach so far. Working up an appetite for pumpkin next.

October peanuts

• Christine is back in Austin, staying with us until she can find an apartment. Mom helped her drive down. I think Corinna remembers that a year ago, Mom and Christine watched the kids while Rachel and I spent a week in London. Because she keeps clinging to me and crying, "I don't want Grandma! I don't want Christine!"
• Christine thoughtfully let me know that she would be late "because of an accident." She neglected to mention that she was *in* the accident. "I didn't really want to talk about it," she said later.
• Rachel: "I tripped over your foot because it was taking too much space. I couldn't help it."
• David: "Jonathan has come a long way. A few months ago, the half mile run [JBE: actually almost 1.5] we did tonight alone would have killed him. He plowed through it like a champ and then hit some good sets of rope pullups. Then after some back extensions; ground through endurance squats/lunges and finished strong with weighted planks."
• Christine took notes on General Conference in the same notebook she writes horror stories. I found that very amusing. (Christine clarifies: "Only one of the stories in that notebook was 'creepy'. The others were perfectly normal. That's the Jonathan filter for you though.")
• Me: "Grant says that Lisa actually enjoyed working out with you. I find that hard to believe." David: "Lisa also weighed sixty pounds less than you do."
• Me: "But we did leg work Monday!" David: "No, we didn't. What are you thinking of?" Me: "Mountain climbing!" David: "That's more of a shoulder exercise." Me: "Well, it exercised my legs!" David: "That's because you're top-heavy."
• David and I both call our daughters "Christine" by mistake. David's daughter's name doesn't even start with a C.
• Rachel: "How is Jonathan's training coming?" David: "Well, let me put it this way. He doesn't remind me quite so much of a Purdue chicken when he takes his shirt off now."
• Matthew comes in from the back yard where he is putting up his new tent. "Mom, I need help." "Okay, but first I'm going to finish reading this story to Isaac." "How long will that take?" He knows better than to ask Dad for help of a mechanical nature.
• Little sister Christine has her first non-intern job offer in software development. She didn't think it was worth mentioning until Rachel asked her specifically if she'd heard back...
• Christine decided to do the body work on her car herself rather than buy a new one. First step: getting a door from a junked Buick Century. The junkyard manager stared for a minute when she came in. Finally he explained, "We don't see a lot of women in here." She totally *should* have replied that she was a mechanical engineer. No big deal.
• David is legitimately good at fixing things now. He got the broken door off Christine's Buick, and the new one on just as Matthew and I arrived to work out. Christine closed the door... and it rattled. Her face fell. David: "Don't worry! I know what the problem is." He had Matthew and me push the door up as hard as we could, partially lifting the car up. He loosened something and tightened something else, and when he was done the door closed with a satisfying thunk.
• Melissa, re-brushing Isaac's hair: "I know Daddy already did it, but he doesn't have a woman's touch."
• Matthew joined my workout with David on Saturday. I was pleased to see that it was harder than he expected. But I totally understand now how the aging leader of the pack feels, knowing he can keep ahead of those young would-be alpha males still, but only for a few more years.
• Deadlifted more than David today [Oct 13]. No doubt he is already planning revenge for our next meeting.
• I join meetings late because if I'm early, I have to do small talk before it starts. Small talk stresses me out.
• David: "You know, I'm not really a sadist. A sadist takes pleasure in causing pain." Me: "You totally enjoy causing pain. Even Rachel can see that." "I don't enjoy the pain; I enjoy winning!" "You enjoy both!" "Well. You got me there."
• Christine: "When I left New Jersey, I threw away all my makeup since I didn't use it anyway. I didn't have much. Just whatever people had given me because they thought I should try it."
• [A couple days later] I recorded an interview today (for an internal recruiting video). That is why I am wearing more makeup than Christine.
• Corinna calls Tommy "Bubba" when speaking to him directly. I guess she picked her own nickname.
• Me, on the phone: "... Can you make that cake for eight people?" Baker: "No problem." Rachel: "Wait! David's coming! Make it for twelve!"

It turns out Tommy can fit an entire Girl Scout cookie in his mouth

(Photos taken 2015-01-28.)

Miss Big

I headed up to Melissa's room to see if she was taking a nap.  On my way, I saw Corinna putting her shoes on.  She saw me and announced, "I going to park!"  I know, in a few minutes.

Coming back down, I saw Corinna out the window, pedaling on her tricycle towards the park.  By herself.

This reminds me of when I got my practice guitar Monday.  We were at the shop and she saw a beautiful pink guitar.  "I want ping guitar!" she told me.  "T'es trop petite," I told her.  You're too little.  She looked at me reproachfully.  "Mommy say I big!"

(I held firm, with the result that I had to carry a wailing Corinna puddle to the car.)

September peanuts

Apparently September was the month of David stories...

• Did an inverted pushup today [sept 2] for the first time in about 15 years.
• The exercise clubhouse at David's apartment has a toilet, but no sink. David: "You lift heavy weights, and you don't wash your hands. It's a manly clubhouse. Or it would be if they had any heavy weights."
• Me: "I think I'm shot because of your run this morning." David: "My running wasn't the problem. Its yours."
• David: "That's not part of our routine." Me: "The bent-over gasping for breath is always part of our routine." David: "If you're going to do that, at least breathe with your diaphragm."
• Rachel: "Matthew, give Isaac a hug and go." Isaac: "But not a kiss."
• Matthew's French horn practice drove me to put my gun range ear protection on. "We should make him practice in the garage." Rachel: "Once he went to his room, it wasn't so bad." "His room is directly above my office!" "Stuff rags in the vents. Maybe it will help. We want to encourage him." "Are you sure?"
• David: "We'll start whenever you're ready." Me: "I'm ready, unless we're doing more leg exercises next." "We're working on the stomach next." "I can handle that." "Yes. Yes, you have plenty of stomach."
• Rachel: "Just one order of queso?" Me: "Let's order a second for tomorrow." This is why growing up was worth it.
• Hired someone to fix my damn printer's network issues. Tech, mumbling to himself: "Why would it think it's not connected to the network?" 10% of me is sad that I am not fixing this myself. The other 90% is delighted.
• David: "It's hard for people to imagine what it's like to be in shape when the closest they've been is lifting light weights at Planet Fitness next to some dude eating pizza."
• Apparently it does not go without saying that you do not pour sand down the kitchen sink. Damn it, Matthew.
• Rachel allowed Matthew to set up the kids' new Windows laptop. He created a Matthew account with administrator powers, password protected it, and forgot the password. In fairness, he completely remembers what he INTENDED to set the password to. But that is not what he actually typed. (I found him instructions for building a USB key to reset it. He did, after three days of complaining that it was too hard.)
• Me, doing bridges with a 25 lb weight on my stomach: "Eeeaaaaauuuuuuuugh!" David: "I haven't heard that noise since my wife was in labor!"
• I try to pull myself up from the floor using a rubber exercise band hanging from the weight cage. It doesn't work very well. David: "For a brilliant man, you sure do a lot of stupid things."
• David: "You know it's been a good workout when you have trouble reaching up to wipe the sweat from your eyes."
• Rachel is watching a video on medieval obstetrics. I asked her to put on a pair of headphones, because yes I am squeamish.
• Melissa: "If we moved to London, we'd have to learn English!"
• Matthew offered to weed the garden in exchange for Minecraft on the XBox One. I think the draw is that multiplayer with his sister on the PC is kind of painful. Me: "Up to four in split screen? Isaac will be in heaven! ... I need to order another controller." Rachel: "Tonight."
• Me: "I'm pretty thoroughly domesticated, at this point." Rachel couldn't stop laughing for several minutes.
• David: "To finish our workout, we're going to do biceps." Me: "We already did biceps today." David: "A *different* part of the biceps." Me: "I'm pretty sure the biceps is a single muscle." David:
• Corinna watched Cinderella this morning for the first time. When it was over, she wanted to watch it again immediately. Still little girl crack after 60+ years.
• David: "For this exercise, you should take your shoes off." Me: "But your shoes are still on." David: "I'm more flexible than you are."
• David writes: "While picking up some pizzas tonight with my niece [Melissa], after we enter the pizzeria, she commented, 'You were right Uncle David. This place really does look like a hole in the wall!' I need to be more careful what I say around her."
• Rachel: "Did you help Corinna paint her toes?" [While Rachel was on a trip to Washington.] Me: "No. She got into your polish and painted them herself. And she painted the floor, too." "The wood, or the tile?" "Yes."

The perfect excuse

I've noticed for a while that Melissa will suddenly develop extreme bladder pressure when she's reminded to unload the dishwasher or do her homework. Yesterday we found out she's doing this at school too. Here's what her teacher wrote:

[Melissa] tends to fall behind during language arts because she avoids writing at all costs. She has recently begun spending time in the bathroom to avoid writing or completing other language arts activities and it is beginning to cost her. She will stay in the bathroom for 20 minutes up to 40 minutes or more, (resulting in at least an hour over the course of the day) with the excuse that her nose is runny -- Now, I know she has allergies, and I want her to feel comfortable going to the restroom to blow her nose, but I have discussed with her on multiple occasions that she doesn't need to spend that amount of time in the restroom to blow her nose. She is beginning to lose learning time.

 Kids are challenging.

A practice guitar

When I picked up Dad's guitar from its tune up, I took Arin's advice and got this one to practice on. It's already dinged a little on the back so I won't feel any grief when the kids inevitably add more.

(Photos taken 2015-01-26.)

Isaac's cookies

Our neighbor came to the door with Girl Scout cookies. We bought some for the family, but Isaac wanted more. He came running down with his four dollars in his hand and chased them down the driveway to get a box of his very own.

(Photos taken 2015-01-27.)

Matthew makes cream of wheat

Melissa wasn't confident in her Cream of Wheat-making skills, so she enlisted Matthew to help her. Somehow, neither of them noticed the comic book sitting on the stove next to the pot until it caught fire.

(Photos taken 2015-01-25.)

The guitar shop guys check out Dad's '62 Fender Musicmaster

(Photos taken 2015-01-23.)

I decided I'm serious enough about learning the guitar to invest some care into my instrument. I took it to the nearest shop for a tune up.

Backstory: when Dad was around 12, his mother decided he should learn to play the guitar. Dad didn't want to learn, but Grandma bought him a guitar and booked him lessons. After a couple months where it was painfully obvious Dad wasn't practicing, his teacher quit.

Dad's guitar stayed at Grandma's house until she died when I was three. Then his sister sent it to him. For some reason Dad kept moving that guitar around with us.

I actually don't remember why Dad gave it to me a couple years ago. Maybe I mentioned how much I hated piano lessons as a kid and wished I'd learned the guitar. Maybe someone told him how many hours I put into guitar hero. But I became the second owner of a '62 Fender Musicmaster. It looks like it hasn't been out of its case for 50 years, because it hasn't.

So I took it to the shop tonight. The first guy to look at it was shocked. He called the others over. "I've never seen one this clean!" "I thought it was a reissue, but you can tell it's original because the paint on the tuning pegs is yellowing just a little." They forgot about me and admired it for probably ten minutes. I'm glad it's in good hands for the weekend.

Texas in January

(Photos taken 2015-01-19.)

Tommy in the tub

(Photos taken 2015-01-17.)

The cotton candy machine is a hit

(Photos taken 2015-01-11.)

Corinna's tights after just one morning

(Photos taken 2015-01-04.)

I don't understand kids

There is a huge playground behind him, but Isaac is playing by the garbage cans, picking up acorns.

(Photos taken 2014-12-29.)

Tired Bubbles

(Photos taken 2014-12-28.)

Getting some Christmas Terraria in on their new tablets

(Photos taken 2014-12-25.)